This is a wonderful novel, one that beautifully captures the resignation, hopelessness, and cowardice that often comes with settling down. Yates is brilliant writer and Mark Bramhall's narration is truly first rate. Highly recommended. Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

Exceptional narrator with as many voices as characters in the book. Some books made into movies read as if they were screenplays from the first line. This novel is everything a great American novel should be.

Richard Yates' debut novel, published in 1961 and set in mid-1950s suburban Connecticut, especially stands out for its stark portrayal of infidelity to, and an act of revolution against, the flock mentality of 1950s America. Yates said after the novel's publication that he meant it as an indictment of the era's "general lust for conformity all over...--a kind of blind, desperate clinging to safety and security at any price." The book shows the authentic underside of family life in suburban American life contrasted with the glittery smiles on the dial in the weekly shows of TV's golden age. See, e.g., Ozzie and Harriet, and the Cleavers.

The story begins with Frank and April Wheeler, early 30s, married with 2 young children, engaged in a heated marital spat, brought on by melancholy, malaise and perhaps a bit of mental illness suffered by one or both. Shortly thereafter, April comes up with the "brilliant idea" to uproot and move the family to Paris, where she would be the breadwinner and thereby allow Frank to discover his true talents after being stifled for years as a salesman for a business machine company. They both agree, proceed accordingly, and their marital distress is eased. A kink arises however in their grand plans; the neighbors visit with their son, a mental ward patient who stirs things up (with unspoken truths); and, both spouses stray, all of which leads to an explosive argument and tragic consequences.

It's generally recognized that Yates' novels expertly examine the "tattered remnants of the American dream." I'd say these are more like the "shattered shards" of the suburban male's "self-myths": his personalized legend made up, subconsciously or not, during his teenage years, in which:

He meets and marries a beautiful, dutiful wife, who bears him perfect children to live in a happy home, then departs on a journey to conquer all in his path and take tons of treasure, and on his return, maybe he's forced to stop at a place where he's seduced by a gorgeous goddess that goes by Circe after which he's shipwrecked on an island where he's enslaved for a time to service the sensual needs of a nymph named Calypso; once back on course though, he's admirably withstands the many songs of several Sirens and escapes sea monsters, before arriving back to his college-age children, reared by his wife, just in time to slay her numerous suitors, and live happily ever after.

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD is a blunt and, frankly, VERY depressing look at an act of rebellion in post WWII suburban America.

Poor, poor Frank regrets telling his unhappy and pregnant wife those headline words. This book was written in the 50's, yet I can identify with it in the context of marriage today. I felt that oppressive and trapped feeling when I was pregnant with our third child. I didn't have an abortion, but I fantasied about it. My sister felt it too...this was in the 80's. My grandmother had abortions in the late 20's and so did her sisters. Of course they were illegal and very expensive, requiring some travel. It was talked about "back then" but not at parties or in church. Frank and April were trapped with fear of failure and boredom. Both were immature...a little. April goes full steam ahead on plans to a life in Paris where she will be the bread winner and Frank can find a vocation he enjoys. April's unexpected pregnancy and an accidental but impressive memo Frank writes at his job sets them on opposite paths. April sees a simple abortion performed before the 13th week will solve the problem. Frank gets the attention of an executive who wants to promote him to a job with more pay, responsibility and challenge. Frank sees this as his realistic chance to better living and perhaps vacations to Paris...he doesn't want to throw away this opportunity. April's mental health declines with the passing summer and seeing her dream vanish. Her cute suburban home is a prison and more children will add years to her sentence of a unfulfilled life. Their real-estate agent adds fuel to the fire by asking for invitations to bring her adult institutionalized son over for meals while he is out on weekend passes. He sees their departure to Paris as heroic. When Frank tells him later that summer the plan is canceled, this man turns vicious and blunt sparking a HUUGE fight between Frank and April. Things said that can't be taken back. April would rather die than face her version of hell. A quiet and desperate hell. Frank is left shattered and stuck in the past.

The phrase "a child of his/her time" is often used to excuse a person in history's behaviour and to deflect from looking deeper into their character and nature. In this book however, I think the concept of being of a certain time, and what this can mean in the different contexts of individual life stories, is brilliantly explored in the portrayal of two young people living a seemingly very typical North American life in the fifties.

Yates renders intricate, unforgivingly blunt portraits of Frank and April Wheeler as they try to navigate their lives around societal expectations and norms, repressed hopes and dreams and their own and each others deep personal flaws. As both people increasingly relinquish their individual ideals in order to reach the promised land (as they see it) of Europe, where both are sure that their lives will finally come into fruition, the desperation that lies at the heart of this novel becomes more and more apparent, until it culminates in a horrific ending - an outcome composed equally of the failings of a particular society at a particular time, and of the timeless, flawed and weak nature of humanity.

Mark Bramhall does a solid job narrating this audiobook. Without going over the top, he manages to give each character a distinct voice and conveys the subtlety of the characters' emotions and interactions very well.

If you could sum up Revolutionary Road in three words, what would they be?

real, haunting, powerful

Who was the most memorable character of Revolutionary Road and why?

Frank & April Wheeler are really two of the most memorable characters I have encountered in my reading. The author allows you to see both of them in the most vulnerable ways throughout this book. It is like being a fly on the wall in the home of what you envision to be the "perfect couple" and finding out that they really do have flaws just like everyone else.

Any additional comments?

While Revolutionary Road is sad and dark, it is also simply beautiful. I am ashamed to say I had not heard of this book prior to watching the movie (which I also found to be exceptional) and I am so glad now that I discovered it. It is a powerful story that left me in a state of numb contemplation. It truly is a realistic portrayal of how people have so many dreams of what they want for their life only to get swept up in the mundaneness of everyday living and discover that many of their dreams will never be fulfilled. This is just one version of what can happen to people when they have that realization. Be forewarned, it is a bit on the depressing side. Nevertheless, I would certainly recommend it because it was an excellent listen and a story that is every bit as relevant today as when it was written. Just a side note- I find it interesting that the author uses the name "Frank" for the main character Frank Wheeler because this is such a "frank" literary account of real life behind the shiny image of 1950s suburbia. I wonder if he thought of that when he chose the name or it was just a Freudian slip?

The book is great. The plot is touching. Till the very end you hope everything will be fine, and it's really hard to keep yourself from drawing a parallel between the heroes' lives and that of your own. Indeed, what happened to the heroes could have happened to Romeo and Juliette had they not died.
A special tribute must be paid to the narrator. Due to his unsurpassed skill the heroes and even their voices are so vivid. The book has lots of dialogues, but due to Mark Bramhall you can not only recognize who's talking immidiately, but also feel the finest nuances of their mood!